| Michael Stutz on Wed, 30 Sep 1998 16:24:25 +0200 (MET DST) |
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| <nettime> copylefting non-software information |
Applying Copyleft To Non-Software Information
by [1]Michael Stutz, 97.06.11
Contents:
* [2]First, what is Copyleft?
* [3]Why is Copyleft important, or even necessary?
* [4]So why isn't the FSF's GNU GPL good enough?
* [5]Ok, so how do I copyleft my non-software work?
* [6]Where do I go from here?
First, what is Copyleft?
The entry for "copyleft" in the definitive hacker lexicon, the
[7]Jargon File, reads:
copyleft: /kop'ee-left/ [play on `copyright'] n. 1. The copyright
notice (`General Public License') carried by GNU EMACS and other
Free Software Foundation software, granting reuse and reproduction
rights to all comers (but see also General Public Virus). 2. By
extension, any copyright notice intended to achieve similar aims.
The idea of [8]copyleft originated with =FCber-hacker Richard Stallman
in 1983 when he started the [9]GNU project. In brief, his goal was "to
develop a complete free Unix-like operating system." As part of that
goal, he invented and wrote the [10]GNU General Public License, a
legal construct that included a copyright notice but added to it (or,
technically, removed certain restrictions), so its terms allowed for
the freedoms of reuse, modification and reproduction of a work or its
derivatives to be kept for all.
Normal [11]copyright asserts ownership and identification of the
author, as well as prevents the use of the author's name as author of
a distorted version of the work; it also prevents intentional
distortion of the work by others and prevents destruction of the work.
But it also carries other restrictions -- such as restricting the
reproduction or modification of a work.
Copyleft contains the normal copyright statement, asserting ownership
and identification of the author. However, it then gives away some of
the other rights implicit in the normal copyright: it says that not
only are you free to redistribute this work, but you are also free to
change the work. However, you cannot claim to have written the
original work, nor can you claim that these changes were created by
someone else. Finally, all derivative works must also be placed under
these terms.
Why is Copyleft important, or even necessary?
Certain restrictions of copyright -- such as distribution and
modification -- are not very useful to ``cyberia,'' the [12]free,
apolitical, democratic community that constitutes the internetworked
digital world.
With computers, perfect copies of a digital work can easily be made --
and even modified, or further distributed -- by others, with no loss
of the original work. As individuals interact in cyberia, sharing
information -- then reacting and building upon it -- is not only
natural, but this is the only way for individual beings to thrive in a
community. In essence, the idea of copyleft is basic to the natural
propogation of digital information among humans in a society. This is
why the regular notion of copyright does not make sense in the context
of cyberia.
Simple `public domain' publication will not work, because some will
try to abuse this for profit and deprive others of freedom; as long as
we live in a world with a legal system where legal abstractions such
as copyright are necessary, as responsible artists or scientists we
will need the formal legal abstractions of copyleft that ensure our
freedom and the freedom of others.
Much literature has been written on this subject by Stallman, and the
details can be found in the excellent [13]texts published by the Free
Software Foundation.
So why isn't the FSF's GNU GPL good enough?
It is good enough! The GNU GPL is not only a document of significant
historical and literary value, but it is in wide use today for
countless software programs -- those as formal part of the GNU project
and otherwise. The GNU GPL originated for the specific goal of sharing
software among computer programmers. However, looking closely at the
GPL, it appears that the same License can be easily applied to
non-software information.
Alternately, a document can be copylefted under different, or much
simpler terms; whether or not the GNU GPL is the specific means to the
end is not the issue, although the GNU GPL certainly provides the most
explicit (and canonical) definition of copyleft.
Ok, so how do I copyleft my non-software work?
It's simple. While a particular situation may require or inspire its
own specific License, possibly similar to the GNU GPL, all that a
copyleft notice must really do is fulfill the points as defined above
in [14]"First, what is Copyleft?". Using the GNU GPL to copyleft your
work is easy.
The GNU GPL states that it "applies to any program or other work which
contains a notice placed by the copyright holder saying it may be
distributed under the terms of this General Public License," so this
"Program," then, may not necessarily be a computer software program --
any work of any nature that can be copyrighted can be copylefted with
the GNU GPL.
The GNU GPL references the "source code" of a work; this "source code"
will mean different things for different kinds of information, but the
definition of "source code" -- provided in the GNU GPL -- holds true
in any case: "The source code for a work means the preferred form of
the work for making modifications to it."
The notices attached to the work can not always be attached "to the
start of each source file," as recommended by the GNU GPL. In this
case, the directory that the files reside should contain a notice, as
should any accompanying documentation or literature.
Finally, for non-software works the "copyright" line included at the
start of the "source code" of the work is modified in language
slightly:
<one line to give the work's name and a brief idea of what it does.>
Copyright (C) 19yy <name of author>
This information is free; you can redistribute it and/or modify it
under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by
the Free Software Foundation; either version 2 of the License, or
(at your option) any later version.
This work is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the
GNU General Public License for more details.
You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License
along with this work; if not, write to the Free Software
Foundation, Inc., 675 Mass Ave, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.
Where do I go from here?
Here are sources for futher information on copyleft, especially as it
is applied to non-software information:
The [15]Free Software Foundation is the home of the GNU project and is
the canonical source for copyleft and freely-distributable software.
[16]Ram Samudrala wrote the [17]Free Music Philosophy and creates
freely-copiable music as the band [18]Twisted Helices.
``I Told You So!'' -- Mark Amerika recently wrote a column about
copylefted works as the new literary renaissance, called
[19]"Copyleftists: Form and Action In the Network Environment ".
In May 1997, [20]Richard Thieme published "[21]Fractals, Hammers and
Other Tools," a beautiful essay about fractals which relates it to the
end of intellectual property in the cyberian age.
John Perry Barlow's [22]"The Economy of Ideas" from Wired 2.03 gets it
right -- that information is a verb, not a noun.
If you know of other non-software works which are released according
to these terms, or if you choose to apply this to your own work,
please send me mail at [23]stutz@dsl.org.
Here are links to my own copylefted texts ([24]literature, [25]reviews
and [26]technical), [27]images and [28]music.
As of 23 Dec 97, this document is also available from the Free
Software Foundation's Web site, at
[29]<http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/nonsoftware-copyleft.html>.
Rev. 1.3, 19 Jan 1998
###
_________________________________________________________________
Original content copyright (C) 1990-1998 by Michael Stutz; this
information is free; it may be redistributed and/or modified under the
terms of the [30]GNU [31]General Public License, either Version 2 of
the License, or (at your preference) any later version, and as long as
this sentence remains; this information comes WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY;
without even the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A
PARTICULAR PURPOSE; see the [32]GNU General Public License for more
details.
FEEDBACK: [33]MICHAEL STUTZ * PO BOX 542 * BEREA OH 44017-0542 USA
* [34]http://dsl.org/m/
[35]catalog of used music, books and zines for sale
References
1. mailto:stutz@dsl.org
2. http://www.dsl.org/copyleft/#what
3. http://www.dsl.org/copyleft/#why
4. http://www.dsl.org/copyleft/#gpl
5. http://www.dsl.org/copyleft/#how
6. http://www.dsl.org/copyleft/#where
7. http://www.huis.hiroshima-u.ac.jp/Computer/Jargon/TheJargon/TheJargon
Lexicon.html
8. http://www.gnu.ai.mit.edu/copyleft/copyleft.html
9. http://www.gnu.ai.mit.edu/
10. http://www.gnu.ai.mit.edu/copyleft/gpl.html
11. http://www.aimnet.com/~carroll/copyright/faq-home.html
12. http://www.dsl.org/cgi-bin/display.pl/m/doc/ana/96/cyberspace-declaration
13. http://www.gnu.ai.mit.edu/philosophy/philosophy.html
14. http://www.dsl.org/copyleft/#what
15. http://www.gnu.ai.mit.edu/
16. http://www.ram.org/
17. http://www.ram.org/ramblings/philosophy/fmp.html
18. http://www.twisted-helices.com/th/
19. http://www.altx.com/amerika.online/amerika.online.3.4.html
20. http://www.thiemeworks.com/
21. http://www.thiemeworks.com/islands/may/fractals.htm
22. http://www.wired.com/wired/2.03/features/economy.ideas.html
23. mailto:stutz@dsl.org
24. http://www.dsl.org/m/doc/lit/
25. http://www.dsl.org/m/doc/rev/
26. http://www.dsl.org/m/doc/comp/
27. http://www.sito.org/sito/pers/Stutz_M.html
28. http://www.dsl.org/m/doc/mus/
29. http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/nonsoftware-copyleft.html
30. http://www.gnu.org/
31. http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/gpl.html#SEC1
32. http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/gpl.html#SEC1
33. mailto:stutz@dsl.org
34. http://www.dsl.org/m/
35. http://www.dsl.org/catalog/
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